Clutch mechanism for transmissions



June 9, 1936. I T B, TYLER 2,043,784

CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR TRANSMISSIONS Original Filed May 5l, 1952 4Sheets-Sheet J Awonum JUN* 9, 1,935- T. B. TYLER CLUTCH MC'ISMl 4FORTRANSMIS'SIONS Original Filed May 31, '1932 4 Sheets-Sheet'. 2

ATTQRNEYS `.lune 9, 1936. T. B. TYLER CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR` TRASMISSIONSOriginal Filed'May 5l, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS lllll 1| l June9, 1936- T. B. TYLER CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR TRANSMISSIONS Original FiledMay 31, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS Patented June 9,1936.

UNITED STATES PATENT Aori-ICE VCLUTCH MEcHANTsM Foa 'rnANsMlssloNs TracyBrooks Tyler, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Monopower Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation oi' Michigan Application May 31, 1932,Serial No. 614,349

Renewed November 15, 1935 19 Claims.' (Cl. 192-48) This inventionrelates to transmissions such as are used with motor vehicles,industrial machinery, etc. I

The principal objects of this invention are to 5 improve thetransmissions disclosed in my copending applications, Serial No;611,384, filed May- 20 means,

(d) And other details hereinafter described.

Still further objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of embodiments thereof and from the 2appended drawings, in which- Fig. 6 shows, to enlarged sc ale and inplan section on line 6-6 of Figure 1, clutch selector mech- 40 anism andassociated parts; Figs. 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d are fragmentary portions ofFigure 6A and show selector parts in four different positions;

Fig. 'I is a plan sectional view, as if on line 1-1 of Figure 1;

Fig. 8 shows shifter parts and is a clarified fragmentary portion ofFig. 7; i

Fig. 8a shows a detail of the shifter parts as if on line Suf-8a of Fig.7. Y 5 Referring to Figs. 1-8` showing one embodiment of the invention,and more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the transmissionincludes a suitably journaledA main or normally driving shaft Iconnected to the engine of the vehicle 55 through a conventional masterclutch, having a Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the invendriving plateI I and a reciprocable pressure plate Ila, the latter beingreciprocatedby a clutch throwout fork IIb having a clutch throwoutbearing llc.

Elements, to be described in detail below, create a driving connectionbetween the main shaft and a suitably journalled normally driven shaftI2, and the latter is connected to the propeller shaft, not shown,through a coupling I3. A counter shaft I5, fixed inthe transmissioncasing I6, 10

at I 1, and also fixed at I8 in a partition I9 formed integral with thecasing I6 is also provided, and in effect corresponds to thecountershaft of a conventional transmission.

Formed integral with the main shaft lll is a l5 helical gear in constantmesh with a gear 2| of the gear cluster of the countershaft, and thelatter further has helical gears 22 and 23. of different size, as shown,constantly meshing with helical gears 24 and 25, also of different sizeas 20 shown, these latter being provided ,with relatively telescopingsleeves 26 and 21, journalled in a bearing 21a in wall I9. The shaft I0and the sleeves 26 and' 21 are provided with external splines 30, 3I and32 respectively for purposes to be described. 25 Suitable thrust andjournal bearings for the various parts are provided and are' notreferenced since their construction forms no part of the invention.

Surrounding sleeve 21 are a plurality of sepa- 30 rated annular frictiondisks 34 which have teeth entering the grooves of the splines 32 ofsleeve 21, the disks 34 thereby being non-rotatably, though slidably,secured to sleeve 21. Surrounding sleeve 26 and shaft I0, and splinedthereto, are collars 35 .35 and 36, these having besides their internalsplines, external splines by means of which sets of friction plates 31and 38 are splined thereto, and the three sets of plates 34, 31 and 38form the driving plates of friction clutches whose driv- 40 en partswill now be described.

Forming a constellation around the axes of shaft I Il and sleeves 2621,(Fig. 3) are six. equally spaced rods 40 supported in the web 4I of agear 4Ia formed integral with the driven 45` shaft l 2, and in a plate42, surrounding and clear of outer sleeve 21. Floating on rods 40 andconnecting all of them are sets ofannular frictionplates 43, 44 and 45,these being nested in sets, with the sets of plates 34, 31 and 38, asshown. 50 The plates 43, 44 and 45 loosely surround collars 35 and 36,and sleeve 21, and are free to be moved or compressed into drivingengagement with the driving plates.

an end plate for a large cylindrical drum 48 riveted to the -gearweb 4|by the ends of the rods 40, the rods having nuts 48a on their ends forholding the plate 42 `securely to the drum. The drum is stepped, asshown, to provide shoulders at 48 and 50 for backing plates 5| and 52,these, together with the closed end 53 of the drum, forming abutmentsfor the sets of clutch plates 34, 31 and 38 respectively. The drumfurther contains dished pressure plates 54, 55 and 56, movable by meansto be described, towards the backing plates to cause the sets offriction plates to be clamped between the pressure plates 54, 55 and 56and the backing elements 53, 5| and 52 respectively for drivingengagement.

The means for moving the pressure plates towards the backing plates inorder to cause one or another of the clutch plate sets to be clampedincludes a constellation of three channel shaped elongated members 60,disposed and spaced equally about the shafts I0 and I2, each of themembers lying between two of the rods 40, as shown in Fig.' 3. 'As seenin Fig. 6, the channels pass through the web 4|, the partially closedend 53 of the drum 48, the sets of plates 43, '44, 45 and the pressureplates 54, 55 and 56, the backing plates 5| and 52 and end plate 42. Atone end, by a tongue and groove joint 6|, they are secured to a clutchmain pressure plate 62, and y at theother ends are free, as shown.Within each channel is slidably disposed an elongated selector 63, thelatter having one end secured to a ring 64 operatively connected to theshift lever 65.

Each selector is provided with suitably spaced and dimensioned pairs ofcutouts 66 and 61, and .suitably spaced and dimensioned pairs of wideportions '68 and 68. Each channel is provided with suitably spaced pairsof holes 10, 1|, 12, located substantially as shown. 'I'hese holes areadjacent chamfers 13, 14, 15 on the edges of the pressure plateapertures through which the channels 80 pass, andare'alsoadjacentreliefs 11, 18, and 19 in theholes of plates 5|, 52 and 42. In the pairsof holes are pairs of balls 80, 8| and 82. The first two pairs of balls86 and 8|=are maintained in assembly by the selector, as shown, and

the last mentioned pair. 82,*is maintained in assembly by peened overportions. 83 of the holes '12 (Fig-6d).A exaggerated'.` Further betweenpressure plate 56 and end plate 42 are substantially L-shaped rockeringers or reactors 8'4 which have their lower edges seated in recesses85' of channels 60,.Fig.v'1a. The Ioperation-,ofthe selectors withparticular reference-to the lowest speed clutch plates 34-45 may belexplainedas follows: Figs. 6 and 6a show e the'partsin neutraiptsition.at this time, the

' scribed laterchannel 60 Vis moved to the right,

against the inuence of springs to be described.

A Pressure plate 56 is moved to the left slightly to Vtake upextra'clearance, due to rocker ngers 84 l being rocked, and all ofthe4balls register with the adjacent chamfers and reliefs, as shown forballs'82 in Fig. 6b. The clutches are all disengaged, and the operatormoves shift lever 65 to a desired position. For sake of illustration,let us say he moves vthe lever to low speed (high torque) position, i.e., the low gear position in a conventional transmission. In a manner tobe described below, this action causes selector 63 to move forward twosteps, upon which the wide part 69 of selector 63 will register with theballs 5 82 and will force them outwardly against the chamfers 15 andinto reliefs 16 (Fig. 6c), where they are thus maintained, by the wideportions of the selectors. Movement of channels60 to the left causes theoutwardly held balls 82 to 10 urge pressure plate -56 to the left (Fig.6d), in turn causing plates 34 and 45 to be clamped between the pressureplate 56 and locking plate 52 for frictional driving engagement. So longas the lever 65 remains in low gear position, and 15 so long as theclutch is engaged, no further action will take place.`

When suiilcient Vlow gear speed is attained, the operator firstdisengages the clutch, moving n channels 60 to the right and againmoving all 0 the balls into registry with the chamfers and reliefs. Hethen moves lever 65 to neutral position, whereupon selector 63 movesback (left) to neutral. He then moves lever 65 to second gear positionfor engagement of plates 44 and 38 or 25 to third gear position forengagement of plates 43 and 31.

One important and obviously necessary feature of the selector mechanism,lies in its ability to: select one pair-set of plates without at thesame time permitting or causing another pair-set to be engaged. 'I'hisresults from the dimensioning of the selector, for example, when onewide part of the selector is registered with a set of balls in line withone set of chamfers and reliefs, the other balls, chamfers and reliefsare not in registry with a selector wide part, and no action takes placeat these unregistered points.

Another feature of the selector mechanism liesl in its abuity to se1ect"the plates withbut an 4 extremely small movement of the selectors.Accordingly, no more than a slight movement of the shift lever or othershifting manipulator is necessary to accomplish selection of the plates.

Since channels 60 are moved forwardly against spring pressure it isdesired to have their range of movement, for clutch releasing operation,as small as possible. This desire conicts with the necessity of havingthe clutch plates, especially the many-plate sets 45, 34 separated asmuch as possible when the plates are not in driving relation.Accordingly, in the low speed clutch 45-34 the pressure plate 56 ismoved in two steps, one by the rockers 84 when the channel is movedforward, and another'by the balls 82 when the channel is retracted. Itwill thus be seen that a great movement of pressure plate 56, necessaryfor clearance between the many plates of clutch 45-44, is accomplishedby a small forward move- 60 ment of channels 60. A

.In order to show how the channels 60 may be moved for clutchengagement, reference will now be had to Figs. l and 5, which show across shaft |0|, provided with arms |02 yokedfto a collar |03 65 Cil itated to the right, by means not shown, but

which may be a pedal on the extension |la, channels 60 are moved to theright, to release the pressure on the clutches Aand also register theselector'balls with the reliefs and chamfers in the plates when in theirfree position.

Further, as above mentioned, movement of the selectors 63, 4isresponsive to movement of the shifting lever. In order to show how theselectors may be manipulated, reference will now be had to Figs. 1, 4,7, 8, and 8a, which show a lever 1 65, universally mountedat in thetransmission cover plate pedestal- |2|. The lower end of the leverterminates in a ball |22 seated in and universally fixed to a shifterplate |23, which is slidable on a xed plate |24, there being a pin andslot connection |24a between them. 'I'he shifter plate is movable by thelever transversely and longitudinally, vas the lever ball end |22 moves.

'Ihe shifter plate has fixed thereto a pin |25 projecting upwardly intothe channel |26 of a` forward drive shifter rail |21, and projectingdownwardly into a slot |28 of the stationary plate |24. The slot isshaped as shown in Fig. 8, and has different length portions LII and IIIcorresponding to low speed drive, second speed drive, and high speeddrive positions respectively. In addition slot |28 has a gate or neutralportion N, as shown. It will be observed that a reverse drive shifterrail |40 having a channel |26 is also provided for purposes to bedescribed later.

The shifter rail |21 is mounted to slide longitudinally in guides. |30and is provided with a spring pressed or snap and check plunger |3|,Fig. 4, whereby its positions are maintained for each shift. The shifterrail, at its rear end, is provided with an L-shaped fork |32 securedthereto, and engaged with a grooved ring |33,

l secured to the selectors 63, and forming the part that is referenced64, Fig. 6.

It will be seen that when the lever 65 is in neutral, the shifter plate|23, will be so positioned that the pin will be in the N part of slot|28 (Fig. 8) and will also be in one or thefother of the channels |26 ofthe shifter rails. Now, when the upper or handle end (not shown) of thelever 65 is moved towards the low speed position, its lower ball endwill cause the shifter plate |23 to move om fixed plate |24 laterally soas to position pin |25 in channel |26 of rail |21, and plate |23 willthen move'around pin |24a as a pivot. Pin |25 will move with shifterplate |23 and will become disposed in the I part of slot |28, pin |25 inits movement causing the shifter rail |21, the grooved` ring |33 (64)and the selectors 63, to move forwardly two steps or a distance equal tothe length of part I of slot |28.' When the lever 65 is moved to secondspeed position, it

must pass through neutral position, and then to such movement,translated The reverse shifter rail is connected, through a `rockercrank |4| (Fig. 3) fixed to a vertical shaft |42 having xed thereto asecond rocker crank |43, to the collar |44 of a reverse gear |45,splined to and slidably mounted on a shaft M6, and adapted to mesh withthe gear 4|a on web 4|. The shaft |46 has a gear, not shown, constantlymeshing with one of the gears on the counter vided, the lever 65 orother manipulator, need not;

be as long as those now provided, because conventional transmissionsrequire a much greater range of movement of the selector parts. Becauseof the fact that the manipulator need not be so long as those commonlyprovided, the manipulator may be of entirely different form, and may bemounted differently from those now provided.

ffFurther, it will be observed that the reverse part of slot |28 is outof line with the low speed part of the sameslot, as seen in Fig. 8.Accordingly, when the manipulator is moved hurriedly out of low speedposition it will be impossible for thesame to be moved accidentally intothe reverse slot, this not being true of conventional devices.

Now having described the invention and a preferred embodiment thereof,it will be understood that the scope of the same is to be limited nottothe specic details herein shown and described, but only by the claimswhich follow.

What I claim is:-

1. In a transmission, a shaft, a plurality of longitudinally spacednormally disengaged multiplate friction clutch sets surrounding saidshaft, a drum surrounding and non-rotatably secured to said clutch sets,means parallel to the axis of said shaft and spaced therearound, andpassing thru said clutch sets for selecting one of them, and meansindependent of said selecting means for causing clutch engagement of apre-selected set.

2. In a transmission, a shaft, a plurality of longitudinally spacedfriction clutch sets surrounding said shaft, a drum surrounding andnon-rotatably secured to said clutch sets, means parallel to the axis ofsaid shaft and spaced therearound, and passing thru said clutch sets forselecting one of them, and means for causing clutch engagement of apre-selected set, the selector f dependent of said selecting means forcausing clutch engagement of a pre-selected set.

4. In atransmission, a shaft, a plurality of longitudinally spacedfriction clutch sets surrounding said shaft, a drum surrounding andnon-rotatably secured to said clutch sets, means parallel to the axis ofsaid shaft. and spaced therearound, and passing thru said clutch setsfor selecting one of them, and personally optrable means operableindependently of said selecting means for causing clutch engagement of apre-selected set.

5. In a transmission, a shaft, a plurality of longitudinally spacedfriction clutch sets surrounding said shaft, a drum surrounding andnon-rotatably secured to said clutch sets, means parallel to the axis ofsaid shaft and spaced therearound, and passing thru said clutch sets forselecting one of them, and personally operable spring means independentof said selecting means for causing clutch engagement of a pre-selectedset.

6. In a transmission, a plurality of clutch sets having movable pressureplates at least one of which is provided with reactor means, means forselecting one of said pressure plates and for causing partial clutchengagement movement of the plate equipped with reactors, in the eventthat plate is selected, and means for causing complete clutch engagementmovement of the selected one of said pressure plates.

7. In a transmission, a plurality of clutch sets having movable pressureplates at least one of which is provided with reactor means, means forselecting one of said pressure plates and for causing partial clutchengagement movement of the plate equipped with reactors, in the eventthat plate is selected, and spring opposed means for causing completeclutch engagement movement of the selected one of said pressure plates.

8. In combination with a plurality of selectable clutches, having platesmovable into and out of engagement, means for causing the plates to moveout of L-engagement into an operative position, means for moving themout of the operative position, and means for moving them into theoperative position, and then into engagement.

9. In a transmission, a plurality of clutch sets having axially spacedmovable pressure plates, slidable means extending through all of saidpressure plates, engaging means on said slidable means adapted toselectively and independently engage all of said pressure plates, andmeans for moving said slidable means.

10. In a transmission, a plurality of clutch sets having axially spacedmovable pressure plates,

means slidable longitudinally through said clutch. sets, engaging meanson said slidable means adapted t'o independently engage said pressureplates to prevent sliding movement of the sliding means relative to anengaged pressure plate, and means for moving said engaging meanslongitudinally.

11. A transmission including a plurality of coaxial clutch sets havingaxially spaced movable pressure plates, slidable members extendingthrough all of said-plates, balls carried by said slidable membersadjacent each pressure plate, means for projecting said balls outwardlyadjacent any selected pressure plate, and means for moving said slidablemember longitudinally.

13. In a transmission," a plurality of clutch sets having axially spacedmovable pressure platea,J slidable means extending through all of saidpressure plates, engaging members' on said slidable means adapted toindependently and selectively engage all of said pressure plates, andpersonally controlled means for moving said engaging meanslongitudinally.

14. A transmission including a plurality of clutches, each clutchincluding 'an axially movable pressure plate, said pressure plates invarious sets being spaced along an axial line, a slidable memberextending through all of said pressure plates, 1 engaging means in saidslidable member and operable to selectively engage separate pressureplates, and means for moving said slidable member longitudinally.

15. Ina clutch having a pressure plate actuated 1 by axial movementthereof, means movable in a direction to engage said pressure plate andmovable in the opposite direction when said pressine plate is engaged toactuate the same, and reactor means operable to move said pressure platein an actuating direction during movement of said first named means in adirection to engage said pressure plate.

16. In a clutch having a pressure plate actuated by axial movementthereof, slidable means, 25

means in saidpredetermined. direction. 35

17. In a clutch having a pressure plate actuated by axial movementthereof, slidable means, engaging means on said slidable means, said/sliding means being movable in a predetermined direction to permitengagement of said engaging 40 means with said pressure plate, andmovable in anopposite direction to cause actuating movement of theengaged plate, and a rocker carried by said slidable means and engagingsaid pressureplate for moving the pressure plate in an 4 actuatingdirection during movement of said slidable means in said predetermineddirection.

18. In a clutch having a pressure plate actuated by axial movementthereof, slidable means, manual means for moving said slidable means,engaging means on said slidable means, said sliding means being movablein a predetermined direction to permit engagement of said engaging meanswith said pressure plate, and movable r in an opposite direction tocause actuating movement of the engaged plate, and means carried by saidslidable means and engaging said pressure plate for moving the pressureplate in an actuating direction during movement of said slidable meansin said predetermined direction.

19. In a clutch having a pressure plate actuated by axial movementthereof, slidable means adapted to be moved into engagement with saidpressure plate, means for moving said slidable means in an oppositedirection when in engagement with said pressure plate to move the latterin an actuating direction, and means carried. by said slidable means andengaging said pressure plate to move the latter in an actuatingdirection during movement'of said slidable means towards its position.of engagement with said pressure plate.

TRACY BROOKS TYLER.

